Scottish Executive

Environment

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for ensuring that any disused non-coal mines do not represent a danger to the public in respect of any possible subsidence of land located above disused shafts and what funding is available to make safe such disused non-coal mines.

Ross Finnie: No one body is responsible for disused non-coal mines, and no specific funding is earmarked for making such mines safe. Responsibility concerning possible subsidence is dependent on the particular circumstances of the mining rights or of the land ownership.

Families

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to issue guidance directly, or through COSLA, on the appropriate level of support for marriage and couple counselling services.

Hugh Henry: The role of the Scottish Executive is to support strategic development of family relationship services at national level. It is for local funders to assess how they might support these services in their own areas.

Families

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to fund marriage guidance and couple counselling services on a national basis.

Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive already provides core and training grant funding for Couple Counselling Scotland and Scottish Marriage Care. Some £355,000 will be made available this year for activities by them at a national level. Our total contribution to family relationship support at national level has risen this year to over £610,690.

Families

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether marriage guidance and couple counselling services form part of its strategy for supporting families.

Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive recognises the importance of relationship support services in helping to provide stable family settings where children can prosper. In our recent consultation on family law reform - Family Matters: Improving Family Law in Scotland - we sought views on how best to harness the voluntary sector contribution to securing good outcomes for families, and we are now considering the responses.

Health

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people there are with atherosclerosis; what the most effective recognised treatment is and whether a cure exists and, if not, what research is currently being carried out into finding a cure or to develop a drug that would be capable of allowing constricted arteries to regain their elasticity.

Malcolm Chisholm: Atherosclerosis affects many people in varying degrees, and prevalence and severity increase with age. It generally remains undiagnosed until it is of a severity to cause symptoms. The severity and rate of progression will be determined by both genetic and lifestyle factors. A range of treatments is available; the most appropriate treatment is a matter for clinical judgement and will depend on the severity of the condition.

  The Chief Scientist Office is currently funding a study in children to determine whether changing lifestyle – such as diet, exercise or stopping smoking – can have a demonstrable benefit to reduce cardiovascular risk.

Nuclear Waste

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a method for the treatment of existing nuclear waste other than storage and whether the current arrangements would allow it to support a planning application for the creation of any new nuclear power station.

Ross Finnie: Low-level waste can be disposed of to the engineered facility at Drigg operated by British Nuclear Fuels. For higher activity radioactive waste the current policy is that it will be stored, after any necessary treatment, until a long-term waste management option is decided. All options for the future management of intermediate and high-level waste are being considered by the current UK-wide process undertaken by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management to which the Executive is fully committed.

  We will not support the further development of nuclear power stations while waste management issues remain unresolved.

Roads

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to upgrade the A737 trunk road to allow a dual carriageway link from Howwood, Renfrewshire to Dalry, Ayrshire; what the current status is of any plans to create a by-pass around Dalry, and whether it has any plans to connect the Three Towns By-pass to the A737.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive has no current plans to dual the A737 between Howwood and Dalry, nor to construct any direct connection between the A737 and the A78 Three Towns By-pass.

  On 28 June, I announced a full study into the road problems at Dalry including proposals for a by-pass, using the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) methodology. The study should be completed by spring next year.

Scots Language

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8183 by Mr Frank McAveety on 25 May 2004, what specific initiatives it has taken in response to the recommendations of the Council of Europe Committee of Experts' report into the Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, as they relate to Scots.

Mr Frank McAveety: Action in relation to the recommendation of the Committee of Experts and the Charter undertakings for Scots are for a range of bodies and institutions. A wide range of Scots initiatives is being taken forward throughout Scotland. The Executive will also consider these matters within the context of the Partnership commitment to develop a National Language Strategy.

Scots Language

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive which minister has responsibility for ensuring that it meets its obligations in respect of the Charter for Regional or Minority Languages as these relate to Scots.

Mr Frank McAveety: I have lead ministerial responsibility within the Scottish Executive for matters relating to the Scots language.

Scots Language

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will formally respond to the recommendations of the Council of Europe Committee of Experts’ report into the Charter for Regional or Minority Languages as they relate to Scots

Mr Frank McAveety: Any formal response to the recommendations of the Committee is a matter for the UK Government. The Executive will contribute to the next UK periodic report, which is due in June 2005.

Smoking

Mr Ted Brocklebank (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage the main organisations invited to respond to its consultation on smoking in public places to ensure that the response form is easily available to the public.

Mr Tom McCabe: The covering letter which accompanied the consultation pack invited the support of organisations and employers to encourage their employees, members and customers throughout Scotland to respond to the consultation, for example by publicising the response website address or making response forms available in their premises. A copy of the letter is available on the Executive’s consultation website at www.scotland.gov.uk/smokingconsultation/.

  In addition, I wrote personally to COSLA, leaders and chief executives of local authorities, chairs and chief executives of NHS boards, Scotland’s Health at Work, the British Pharmaceutical Industry (Scottish office) and the Scottish Voluntary Charter Group seeking their support to encourage responses from members, staff and people who use their services.